Gordon: Make full use of infra in Luzon to develop provinces
and decongest Manila

Senator Richard J. Gordon urged the government to immediately utilize the available infrastructures in the country to develop provinces into areas of investment and livelihood like Subic.

"What would have happened to Subic if we had not thought about creating a Freeport there? We need a government that is proactive so that it can provide the people with more options for settlement and livelihood," Gordon said during the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel.

"The lakeside towns of Laguna are still flooded because of the typhoons. We see that we are going to have problems in Laguna for the next several years. We cannot wait for that so we need to relocate the people in areas where there are livelihood and employment opportunities," he added.

Gordon, the founding chairman and administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), explained that the government can start decongesting Manila and dispersing the industries to provinces with the infrastructures already available in Subic, Clark and Manila.

The senator has made such a proposal under Senate bill 143, which primarily aims to fully utilize the three airports already built between Subic, Clark and Manila, the three seaports in Subic, Manila and La Union, and the connecting highway and railway in Luzon.

He added that another bill he authored allows for the full development of the Laguna de Bay area. Senate bill 3428 would strengthen the policy-making and regulatory powers of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), in order that it can realize the vision of a self-sufficient and highly dynamic integrated water resource management authority.

"All the great cities of the world are beside great bays. The water resources of Laguna Lake and its tributary rivers are used for irrigation, power generation, recreation, domestic water supply, and navigation, among others. It could easily become like Lake Geneva," Gordon said.

"We need to fully utilize the resources of our country. This is what we need today. The economy of the world is down right now. Before they get to develop themselves back into full gear, now is the time for us to prepare to have them come to the Philippines and invest in our areas," he added.